Total Car Cost Calculator
See the total monthly, annual and full-term cost of running a car in the UK, including payments, insurance, fuel, maintenance and extras.
How the total is calculated
Every cost is turned into a monthly figure and added up. The annual, full-term and cost-per-mile figures all come from that monthly total.
Vehicle cost per month
Lease or subscription: monthly payment + upfront ÷ term. PCP: monthly + (deposit + balloon) ÷ term. Hire purchase: monthly + deposit ÷ term. Cash: (price − resale value) ÷ term.Insurance, road tax and maintenance
Each is converted to a monthly figure using the Monthly or Annual switch you chose.Fuel or charging
Petrol, diesel and hybrid: miles ÷ mpg × 4.54609 litres × price. Electric: miles ÷ 100 × kWh per 100 miles × electricity price. Plug-in hybrid: half the miles each way.Extras
Parking, tolls, breakdown cover, car care and other monthly costs are added as entered.Totals
Monthly total = the sum. Year = monthly × 12. Full term = monthly × term. Cost per mile = annual cost ÷ annual miles.
Worked example
A leased car: £3,600 upfront, £300 a month for 36 months. 12,000 miles a year at 40 mpg and 140p a litre. Insurance £50 a month, maintenance £25 a month, road tax £180 a year. This is an illustration of the method, not typical costs.
- Per month
- £649.11
- Per year / over 36 months
- £7,789 / £23,368
- Cost per mile
- 64.9p
Vehicle £300 + £3,600 ÷ 36 = £400.00. Insurance £50.00. Fuel 12,000 ÷ 40 = 300 gallons × 4.54609 = 1,363.8 litres × £1.40 = £1,909.36 a year, £159.11 a month. Maintenance £25.00. Road tax £180 ÷ 12 = £15.00. Total £649.11. Year £649.11 × 12 = £7,789. Term £649.11 × 36 = £23,368. Per mile £7,789 ÷ 12,000 = 64.9p.
Assumptions and limits
- Blank optional fields count as zero. Blank mileage and efficiency use the fallbacks listed under your result: 10,000 miles a year, 38 mpg (50 for a plug-in hybrid) and 28 kWh per 100 miles (20 for a plug-in hybrid).
- Fuel and electricity prices start with labelled illustrative figures (143.5p a litre for petrol and hybrids, 149.0p for diesel, 7.5p a kWh for electricity). They are not current market prices: replace them with what you pay. The result says when an illustrative price was used.
- Cash purchases subtract resale value over the term, while lease, PCP and hire purchase use payments, so the bases differ.
- Costs not entered, such as depreciation on finance or fees at the end of an agreement, are not included. A PCP balloon payment is always included when you enter one.
- The plug-in hybrid 50/50 split between petrol and electric miles is a calculator assumption, not an average.
Key Takeaways
- The monthly payment is only the vehicle part of the cost. Insurance, fuel or charging, road tax, maintenance and extras are added on top.
- Cost per mile is your annual total divided by your annual miles. Use it to compare cars and payment methods on the same basis.
- Any figure the calculator assumes for you, such as an illustrative fuel price or a blank mileage, is listed with your result.
Frequently asked questions
What does the total car cost include?
The vehicle cost for your payment method, insurance, fuel or charging, road tax, maintenance and any extras you add. It includes only what you enter.
How is the monthly vehicle cost worked out?
It depends on how you pay. Lease and subscription spread any upfront payment across the term. PCP and hire purchase spread the deposit, and PCP also spreads the balloon payment. Cash spreads the purchase price minus resale value.
How is fuel or charging cost calculated?
Your miles are converted to litres or kWh using your efficiency, then multiplied by your price. Plug-in hybrids assume half the miles on petrol and half on electricity.
What happens if I leave a field blank?
Optional fields count as zero. Where a missing value would stop the maths working, such as mileage or efficiency, a fixed fallback is used and listed under your result. Fuel and electricity prices must be entered; they start with an illustrative figure you can replace.
Sources
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